Happy Meal to include books, not toys

The plan by McDonald's restaurants to put books in Happy Meals for two weeks in November could help hook more children on reading. But it could backfire like the prizes that Cracker Jack used to offer ages ago.

It’s a sad day when Happy Meals at McDonald’s Restaurants stop offering toys with a burger, fries and drink.

Yet that’s what’s happening now that the fast-food restaurant has decided to put books in with the meal for two weeks in November, AdAge reports. The four children’s books will carry nutritional messages.

The plan could help hook more children on reading. But it could backfire like the prizes that Cracker Jack used to offer ages ago.

Baby boomers will remember as kids that Cracker Jack prizes used to be cool, and then suddenly they weren’t any more.

McDonald’s expects to distribute 20 million of the little books. The worldwide restaurant chain hopes to offer e-books in 2014.

Those will be harder for kids and parents to dump them in the trash on the way out the door.